Stamford man stole SUV from gas station, police say

Staff Report

Published 9:07 pm, Monday, July 28, 2014

A man who police say stole an SUV from an East Side gas station in Stamford is under suspicion of stealing five other cars, police said Monday.

The owner of a black Lincoln Navigator left his keys in his vehicle while he went inside the Global gas station at 765 East Main St. when the suspect, Angel Hernandez, 43, jumped in the truck and drove away, according to a police news release.

Officers responding to the call of a stolen car quickly located the vehicle, but Hernandez refused to stop, and officers gave chase. The pursuit ended in the South End, where the operator bailed out of the vehicle and fled on foot. Hernandez was soon apprehended behind a house on Lipton Place.

Hernandez was arraigned Monday afternoon on charges of second-degree larceny, engaging police in pursuit, reckless driving, resisting arrest and driving without a license. He was ordered held by Judge Erika Tindall on a $35,000 bond.

Hernandez, who was on parole at the time of his arrest and has numerous robbery, larceny and criminal trespass convictions on his record, was brought to Stamford Police Headquarters, where police said he admitted to having stolen the SUV.

He also admitted to stealing a white BMW on July 23, according to the statement. Police had found that car, which had been reported stolen, on Manhattan Street, also in the South End. The owner told police that it contained the ashes of her grandfather.

Hernandez told police he remembered seeing a bag in the BMW and told police that he got rid of it on the north side of Manhattan Street along a brick wall behind some garbage bags. He then led police to the location, where they found a dark colored bag with keys and a blue box with a name written across the top. Hernandez has not yet been charged with the theft of the BMW. Police said Hernandez is also being investigated for five other similar car thefts.

Sgt. Peter diSpagna said it's common for drivers to leave their keys in the car while getting gas or to run into a store for a minute, often to keep the air conditioning in their cars running. The opportunity to steal such has always proved irresistible to some, and said there has been an "uptick" in the number of stolen cars around town.

"People forget how quickly a car can be stolen, until it is stolen," diSpagna said.